The algorithm module that deals with AI in Google Search is called "RankBrain" and it is very closely related to the other algorithm modules like Panda and Penguin - and it is built into the core search algorithm. Its important to note that the AI is trained by real users using their engine and interacting with your site. This is at the very core of the model of ranking sites moving forward. Because Google has had the ability to mass track users anonymously, they have used it with recent advances in AI and deep learning. The purpose of this document is not to explain the details and specifics on how they do this, but rather what you need to do in order to ensure your site outranks other sites in your niche for your chosen keywords.

What is your sites "Quality Score"?

The primary factor to rank sites is the "quality score" that Google assigns to your site. Every website has an "entity database" with Google and is assigned a kind of "Quality Score" metric.

This metric is based on Google’s overall evaluation of your site.

The better your sites quality score, the easier it will be for you to rank it high. Remember, again since the Google AI is tracking real user behavior and using that as a quality signal - we are trying to avoid the scenario where the user visits out page and then clicks the back button which effectively takes him back to Google to search again or continue the search. If this happens, it indicates that users did not find the information they are looking for on our site.

The elements I mention below all contribute to a better quality score by aiding navigation and increasing engagement.

Before I list all the specific elements, here's a summary of what Google AI is attempting to measure as a quality score signal.

On-Page Content

How does your sites content lines up with the competition (semantical relations of words using vector graphs) - AS COMPARED to the other ranking sites?

SERP User Metrics

What are the Click Through Rate on your listing when you rank in the SERPs - as compared to the other ranking sites?

On-Page User Metrics

How are users interacting and behaving when they visit your site? What's their dwell time, satisfying search intent and terminating search query, bounce rates etc. again - as compared to the other ranking sites?

Traffic Metrics

How much of actual traffic is flowing from your backlinks on the web, including your social signals and incoming social traffic?

Link Building Metrics

WHat is the quality of your backlinks? What is their relevancy? How natural looking are they? What is their link velocity?

These are some of the top most ranking factors, however - you should note that each niche has its own set of benchmarks and baselines for each of these factors.

This is why you need to always closely examine what is happening with the top ranking sites (your competitors) in your niche. You may also want to compare the data with the sites ranking on or around spot 100 - because sites way down the ranks tell you what you don't want to do.

That said, lets now go over a step by step checklist of items that go into a thorough SEO audit check.